Too Late To Regret.

Chapter1

There was no way anyone in their right mind would schedule a business meeting for six on a Saturday morning.

Six freaking AM!

But apparently, my boss had other ideas. Urg!!

“You can do this, Olivia,” I whispered to myself, dabbing my cheeks with my makeup powder. “You know you can. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Get your revenge and leave. That’s all you have to do.”

I repeated the words like a prayer, hoping that if I said them enough times, I would finally believe them. But unfortunately, the knots twisting in my stomach had nothing to do with the ungodly hour or day of the meeting. They had everything to do with the man I was about to face.

My ex-husband.

Brian Bruce.

Five years. Five whole years since the man who once swore he could never live without me had thrown me out of his life as though our marriage had meant nothing.

Five years since he had looked me in the eyes and demanded a divorce without giving me a single explanation.

A whole five years since I had watched him move on with the very woman I had spent years convincing myself I had nothing to worry about.

And today, I was going to see him again.

My phone rang, dragging me out of my thoughts and I immediately glanced at the clock.

It was six o’clock.

Shit!

I swiped to answer without bothering to check the caller ID. I already knew who it was.

“The driver says you haven’t set off yet, Olivia. What could possibly be the reason for the delay?”

My boss. Straight to the point, as usual.

“Well, good morning to you too, sir,” I replied, forcing a smile as I picked up my purse. “I’m ready and heading downstairs now. Everything will go as planned.”

“Good. I’ll be waiting for the good news.”

The call ended.

I slipped my phone into my purse, sprayed a little perfume on my wrists, and turned towards the mirror for one final inspection.

My dark hair was neatly styled with my makeup as flawless as usual and my outfit was exactly what I needed for the occasion. Professional and expensive looking without being too flashy.

“Perfect,” I whispered, then picked up my things and headed downstairs.

……..

The moment I stepped into Bruce Holdings Inc., memories came rushing back.

I remembered all the times Brian had complained about his family’s business, how much he hated the thought of being trapped in a world he had never wanted. He had wanted to become a doctor and he had fought with his family over it. Back then, he had been determined to build a life that belonged to him even if it meant going against everything his family expected.

Funny how life worked.The man who had once despised this business had eventually become part of it.

And now, here I was, walking through its doors as a business associate.

“Good morning, ma’am,” the receptionist greeted me with a bright smile, drawing me out of my thoughts.

“Good morning.”

I returned the smile before she turned to the two personal assistants and the security guard accompanying me.

“Please, follow me to the conference room.”

“Of course. Lead the way,” I replied.

My heels clicked against the polished floor as we followed her down the corridor. With every step, I felt the tension building inside me. But I kept my face composed, refusing to let the emotions threatening to surface show.

I had spent too many nights crying over Brian Bruce to let him see me fall apart again.

I had heard that he married Myma, the woman his family had wanted him to marry long before he met me. Their families had wanted to merge their businesses and Myma had apparently been the perfect choice.

But Brian had chosen and fought for me instead, even though we were both young. He had assured me that Myma meant nothing to him. I was the only woman he wanted, that no one could ever take my place and he would never love anyone else.

I had believed him.

God, I had believed every word.

Then, without warning, everything changed. One moment, I was married to the man who had fought to make me his wife. The next, he was demanding a divorce, treating me with a coldness I had never seen from him before, and threatening me until I finally signed the papers.

He gave me no explanation. No chance to understand what had gone wrong. Nothing.

And just two weeks after our divorce was finalized, he married Myma as I fell into a depression that took me a long time to recover from.

For years, I watched Myma from a distance, scrolling through her social media pages and comparing my life to hers. She was beautiful, wealthy, popular, and everything I thought I could never be.

Sometimes, I wondered what Brian had ever seen in me. Now, I hated myself for ever asking that question. I wasn’t that girl anymore.

I lifted my chin as the receptionist stopped in front of a set of double doors.

“This is the conference room, ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

She pushed the door open, and I stepped inside as every head turned towards us.

The men and women seated around the long conference table rose to their feet as we entered. I barely had time to acknowledge them before I felt it.

That strange and unmistakable pull.

My eyes moved towards the far end of the table and there he was.

Brian.

For a moment, the room seemed to fade into the background.

He looked older than I remembered, more mature, his features sharper than they had been five years ago. He wore a well-tailored suit, and the man sitting before me looked nothing like the doctor who had once complained endlessly about being forced into his family’s world.

But it was still him.

The same man I had loved with everything I had and spent years trying to forget.

Our eyes locked as I watched his expression change.

First, indifference. Then recognition.

His eyes widened slightly, and all colour seemed to drain from his face. Shock turned to disbelief as he stared at me, as though he couldn’t understand how I had ended up standing in front of him.

And then I saw something else. Guilt?

Was that what I saw in his eyes?

I almost laughed.

You should feel guilty, you son of a b*tch.

For once, I wanted him to feel even a fraction of what he had put me through. I wanted him to remember the woman he had broken and realize that she had survived him.

But I tore my gaze away before he could see too much. I had come here for work, and I intended to leave with what I needed.

“Good morning, everyone.” My voice came out calm and confident, exactly as I wanted.

“I’m Olivia Roland, representing Mr. Smith. He was supposed to attend this meeting in person, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I’ve been asked to take his place. I’ll be leading the meeting on his behalf, so please feel free to direct any questions to me and my associates.” I scanned the room as I spoke.

The faces around the table were unfamiliar, which was a relief. As far as I could tell, none of them knew who I was or what Brian and I had once been to each other.

Good.

I took my seat, placed my folder on the table, and turned towards the man who still hadn’t said a word.

“Shall we proceed, Mr. Bruce?”

There was silence as Brian stared at me as though he hadn’t heard a single word I’d said.

“Sir?” one of the men seated beside him prompted gently.

But before anyone could say another word, the boardroom door flew open with a loud bang and every head turned towards it.

I didn’t need to wonder who it was.

Myma.

She walked into the room with her eyes fixed on her phone, completely oblivious to the awkward silence she had just created. She didn’t greet anyone or even glance at the people seated around the table. She simply crossed the room and took a seat.

I looked at her, then at the uncomfortable expressions on the faces of the Bruce Holdings employees.

I raised my eyebrows.

Seriously?

I had expected a lot of things from this morning, but an unexpected appearance from Brian’s wife wasn’t one of them.

She’s not supposed to be here, is she?

I silently cursed my boss for failing to mention that Myma would be attending. If I had known, I might have had a little more time to prepare myself.

Seeing Brian again had been difficult enough but seeing the woman he had married two weeks after divorcing me was an entirely different matter.

Myma finally put her phone down.

Before she could say anything, Brian’s voice cut through the silence.

“Please proceed, Miss Olivia.”

It was the first time he had spoken since I entered the room.

His voice was deeper than I remembered, but I recognized it instantly. For a brief, treacherous second, the sound carried me back to a time when hearing him call my name had been enough to make me smile and I crushed the thought before it could take root.

I was here for business and nothing more.

I opened my folder, determined to continue as though nothing unusual had happened.

But then I noticed that Myma wasn’t looking at Brian anymore.

She was staring at me.

Her eyes moved over my face, searching, as if she was trying to place me and her expression changed as her eyes widened.

She sat up so abruptly that her chair scraped against the floor.

“What the f**k is going on here?”

The entire room went silent as bewildered gasps echoed through the room at her outburst.

I slowly lifted my gaze to meet hers.